A bio-hybrid tactile sensor incorporating living artificial skin and an impedance sensing array

Sensors (Basel). 2014 Dec 10;14(12):23781-802. doi: 10.3390/s141223781.

Abstract

The development of a bio-hybrid tactile sensor array that incorporates a skin analogue comprised of alginate encapsulated fibroblasts is described. The electrical properties are modulated by mechanical stress induced during contact, and changes are detected by a ten-channel dual-electrode impedance sensing array. By continuously monitoring the impedance of the sensor array at a fixed frequency, whilst normal and tangential loads are applied to the skin surface, transient mechanotransduction has been observed. The results demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the preliminary prototype bio-hybrid tactile sensor.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biosensing Techniques*
  • Electric Impedance
  • Electrodes
  • Humans
  • Mechanotransduction, Cellular / physiology
  • Skin, Artificial*
  • Touch / physiology*